London is the world’s third most expensive city for dating April 22, 2015 Anyone who is fed up of paying through the nose for a date in London's expensive bars and restaurants will be envious of cities such as Mumbai where a cheap date typically costs just $24.70 (£16.53), according to new research. That's about the same as an adult zones 1-6 day travel card, a ticket for Vue [...]
Greece debt deadline: No bailout deal in sight as Greek leaders lose favour April 21, 2015 A deal to grant the Greek government extra bailout cash is unlikely to be agreed this Friday when finance ministers meet in Riga, according to officials. Meanwhile, Greek leaders are struggling with popularity at home. It had been hoped that a meeting of deputy finance officials today could lay the ground work for a deal, [...]
German investor confidence balks amid weak global economy April 21, 2015 Investor confidence in Germany has unexpectedly fallen for the first time in six months, amid global growth concerns, and the potential impact of economic woes on the country's exports. The Zew Center for European Economic Research in Mannheim said the widely watched Zew index fell to 53.3 in April, down from 54.8 a month earlier, [...]
Hurrah – wage growth to hit three per cent in 2015 April 21, 2015 Wage growth in the UK will rise to three per cent in 2015, a new report reckons – that's 0.5 percentage points higher than the average increase in 2014. Set against inflation, which is forecast to average out at 0.2 per cent in 2015 (by some estimates, we may even slip into deflation), the research, [...]
UK property prices: Half of parents worried their children will never own a house without inheritance April 21, 2015 Even with house price growth more muted than it was, first-time buyers are still finding it hard to climb the first rung on the property ladder. Now research has shown that parents are so worried about their offspring's inability to buy a house that they think the only way they will be able to buy [...]
The cost of dying: Four charts showing why we’re facing a “funeral time-bomb” April 21, 2015 We're living through a remarkable time in which "noflation" is making it increasingly cheap to live in the UK – and yet the cost of dying is soaring. The cost of a simple funeral has risen by 80 per cent in the six years to 2014, from £1,920 to £3,590, according to a new report, echoing [...]
Greek debt deadline: Greece raids cash piles to stay afloat April 20, 2015 The Greek government is forcing public sector bodies to hand over their cash reserves, as it tries to avoid running out of money while talks with international lenders drag on. The struggling Mediterranean state faces payments totalling nearly €1bn (£720m) in the first two weeks of May, as well as €1.7bn of public sector wages [...]
Full-time job hires pick up in the City as skills shortage persists April 20, 2015 City firms are significantly more likely to hire full-time, permanent employees than they were a year ago, according to a new report out today. There were 32 per cent more permanent roles available in the Square Mile in the first quarter of this year than there were in the first quarter of 2014, according to [...]
UBS: Sterling to be hit by General Election chaos April 20, 2015 No party is set to win a majority at the General Election next month, and analysts at investment bank UBS predict a minority government is the most likely outcome. Such an administration is considered less stable than a majority or coalition government, and so the analysts expect sterling to take a hit after the vote. [...]
IMF says Greek talks gaining momentum as default looms April 20, 2015 An International Monetary Fund (IMF) official has said the Greek debt negotiations have stepped up a gear recently – and there's hope for a positive outcome as the prospect of a default draws closer. "There has been a little bit more impetus in the negotiations between the three institutions and the Greek government for several days," the [...]